Stuck
by KidKneeGirl
Summary: What happens when Dr. McKay gets stuck on the Atlantis transporter? Please R&R Thanks so much!
1. Chapter 1

Stuck

Chapter 1

"Uh oh…..I think we're stuck," said the short brunette. She was dressed casually in blue jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt, bearing the logo, "I love American Idiots." A bulky backpack was slung over one shoulder, an I-pod was attached to her hip and her feet were encased in bright yellow trainers.

Dr. Rodney McKay looked at the woman in disdain. "No, we're not," he snapped. Although they didn't seem to be moving very fast. Come to think of it, they didn't seem to be moving at all. "We can't be."

"Whatever you say, Doctor," she replied, her features calm. She reached around and activated her headset.

"Hello? Can anybody hear me?" she said, and Rodney frowned. Her voice rang loud and true in his ears; apparently his headset was working just fine.

"Is there anybody out there?" she said in a sing-song voice, speaking into the comm again. "I always wanted to say that," she admitted to Rodney. He just gave a non-committal grunt, glowering at the woman. He glanced around the transporter. Although the lights had flickered a bit a few seconds ago, they had popped right back on. Still, the transporter didn't appear to be transporting Rodney or the woman anywhere.

Rodney strode two steps over to the door, waving his hand impatiently at the controls. "Where's the damn call button?" he muttered impatiently. He banged on the doors, getting a "Oh, that's gonna help," comment from his companion. He refrained from snapping at her, taking a deep breath. For the first time, Rodney took in the size of the transporter. It was small. Really small. He felt the first tiny nibble of uneasiness take hold. Rodney McKay did not like small spaces.

"Why don't you try?" she said, removing her headset and peering at it. Rodney stared in dismay at the girl, resenting her calm. She had slid down to the floor, still examining her headset.

"It's working just fine," Rodney said. "I can hear you." Still, it was worth a try.

"Colonel Sheppard, this is Dr. McKay. Please respond." Silence. Rodney waited a few seconds. Then, "Dr. Weir, this is Dr. McKay. Can you hear me?"

Nothing. Not even static. Rodney frowned, tapping his headset with one impatient finger.

"Dr. Zelenka. Anyone. This is Rodney McKay. Can you hear me?" Nada. Zero. Zippo. Zilch. Rodney felt his uneasiness transform into anger. He had work to do, dammit! He didn't have time to wait for someone to realize he and this…this unbelievably calm woman were stuck in the transporter. Did he even tell anyone where he was going? Rodney traced his steps back, remembering he told Zelenka he was getting something to eat, and he'd be right back. Relief flooded through Rodney; soon, Radek would realize that McKay was missing, and a search would begin. He…they…would be found.

Still, until that time, he was trapped. The walls suddenly shrank around Rodney, and the temperature in the transporter increased twofold. Sweat beaded on Rodney's brow, and he impatiently wiped a hand across his face.

"We're stuck," he mumbled. The woman stopped playing with her headset, and smiled up at the scientist. "Probably between stations; that's why the doors won't open," he added.

"Yup," she agreed. She tossed the headset to the side and settled her gaze on Rodney. He didn't look so good. His face was flushed, shiny with a thin layer of sweat. He had started pacing the transporter, if you could call walking three steps, spinning around and walking three steps back, pacing.

"Doctor, why don't you sit a minute? I'm sure that we'll be out of this in no time," the woman offered, patting the floor next to her. "They're probably working on the problem right now," she added.

"Sit? I can't sit. I need to do something," he replied. "And you don't know that anybody's aware of our situation. Perhaps there's a bigger problem that we don't know about. Maybe it's up to us to get out of here," Rodney barked. He paced for a few more minutes, drawing a sigh from his companion.

Inspiration suddenly hit, and Rodney rushed over the main control panel. He pried it open, dropping the cover to the floor. The woman rose, standing on her tiptoes to peer over his shoulder.

Rodney shot her an irritated glance. "Do you mind?" He reached into the panel, moving cables and examining the circuits.

"Careful," she warned. Rodney huffed an impatient breath, then continued looking for the main power cable. He found the thick translucent cord, and peered at it, looking for flaws or breaks. Nothing.

"I need to test the circuit," he muttered absently, wishing he had taken his laptop with him. He could have just wired into the system, run a diagnostics, located the problem and voila! Problem solved.

"What do you need?" she asked, her hazel eyes curious. Rodney ran hand through his hair, ignoring the slight trembling of his fingers. He turned and looked at the woman.

"Well, for starters, I could use a pair of cutting pliers," he snapped. "Then I need a computer. And while you're at it, how about a turkey sandwich? With mayo?"

He watched as she frowned at him, then reached down and grabbed her backpack. She rummaged around for a moment, then withdrew a small Swiss army knife.

"Will this do?" she asked, a slight smile brightening her face. Rodney stared blankly at the tool for a long moment, then grabbed it out of her hand. "Your welcome," she sniffed, although she remained at his side.

"Thanks," he muttered. He pried open the small knife, noting the many other attachments. This might work.

Rodney returned his gaze to the woman, something nibbling at his mind. He spied her I-pod, attached to her blue jeans by a clip.

"Let me have your I-pod," he ordered. "Please," he added when he saw her eyes flicker with uncertainty. She unhooked it from her jeans, handing it over to Rodney. He turned it over in his hands, staring at the screen for a long moment. If he rewired the I-pod, routed the proper diagnostic line into it, he could (in theory) determine if there was a short in the transporter system. And if that was the case, there was a small chance he could rewire the system, bypass the short and get them moving again.

If..if..if..Rodney hated uncertainties. Still, fussing with this would keep him busy, and being busy would help keep his mind off the continually shrinking size of the transporter.

The woman watched as he sat on the floor, prying open her I-pod with the knife. He examined the interior for a few moments, then removed the circuit board. After a few more minutes spent detaching two of the tiny connections on the circuit board, he grunted in apparent satisfaction. Rodney stood, turning his attention to the control panel. He reached in, gently tugging the cord towards him.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, concern on her face. "I mean, what if you break it even more?"

Rodney gave an impatient shake of his head. "I'm only testing the circuit," he explained, impatience sharpening his words. "If I don't find anything wrong, I'll rewire it. I know what I'm doing. Now, if you don't mind…?"

"No need to be snippy," she replied, taking a step back, and crossing her arms. Rodney returned his focus to the cable. He took a long, deep breath, closing his eyes momentarily. Please let this work, he thought.

He carefully slid the knife along the cable, opening it to reveal several smaller wires within the protective sheath. He peered at them, trying to determine the one he needed.

"Go with the blue one. They always go with the blue wire in the movies, you know," his companion advised. Rodney looked at her in disdain, shaking his head.

"First of all, this was created by Ancients, who, to my knowledge, never even saw a movie. Secondly, they don't go for the blue wire. They go for the red one."

The woman shook her head. "I don't know what movie you saw, but I'm telling you, cut the blue wire."

Rodney just gave her a dirty look, then leaned in with the small knife. He fingered the blue wire first, trying desperately to remember the schematics he had merely glanced at when they had first activated the transporters more than a year ago.

He released the blue wire, and, with a determined look on his face, grasped the red wire. He reached in, positioned the blade, and with a short tug, cut the red wire.

The lights went out. Rodney froze as complete darkness suddenly dropped around him. Then, from the pitch black came her voice.

"Told you it was the blue one."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Stuck

Chapter 2

Rodney remained still, listening as the woman searched noisily in the dark for something. She was muttering to herself under her breath, and he caught the phrase, "typical male." He felt his own anger start to build, and quashed it down with enormous effort.

From across the room, he heard the 'click' of a switch, and then suddenly, she was shining a light into his eyes.

"Hey! Do you mind?" Rodney yelled, although he was relieved. Rodney didn't like small spaces, but he liked small, dark spaces even less.

"Oops! Sorry," she replied, although Rodney swore she giggled as she said it. She approached him, shining the light into the control panel. He reached in, twisting the wires back together to repair them. Around them, the lights flickered sporadically, then suddenly glowed into life.

Rodney breathed a sigh. The woman clicked off the flashlight, tapping it lightly against her leg. Rodney turned and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.

"I'm going to try the radio again," she announced. He only nodded, listening as she spoke into the comm. After five full minutes, she gave up, returning to his side.

"Shall we try the blue wire now, Dr. McKay?" she asked, looking at him with concern. Her manner was still relaxed, but Rodney sensed she was growing nervous. They had been stuck now for about twenty-five minutes. Suddenly, he realized something.

"Who are you?" he blurted out. The woman stared at him for a second, then burst into laughter.

"Oh, yes, I suppose introductions are necessary, seeing as we're going to be here awhile. I'm Sonya. Sonya Davidovich." She held out her hand, and he took it slowly, her hand warm and dry in his sweaty palm.

"I just got here a few weeks ago. I'm a nurse; I work with Dr. Beckett," she added. Rodney only nodded; so many new personnel were being added to Atlantis that he couldn't keep track of them all.

She waited patiently as he turned back to the control panel. This time, as he ignored her taunting smile, he reached in, and, half-expecting the transporter to blow up or something, he cut the blue wire. Nothing happened. He exchanged a glance with Sonya, her eyes shining with triumph.

"Here," she said, thrusting the I-pod at him.

"No, you hold it while I wire it together," he replied. A few minutes later, he had attached the wire to the connections. He crimped them together carefully, then turned the I-pod on. And almost dropped the device in surprise. From her headphones roared music. Or what could be loosely described as music.

"Rammstein," she informed him. The blare of heavy-metal guitars, mixed with the distinct sound of electronica, blasted across the transporter. Rodney grimaced as a male voice sang in German, the words strong and guttural.

He quickly turned the volume down, glancing at the woman. She certainly didn't look like the mosh-pit type, but then again, neither did Radek Zelenka. And Rodney had entered the lab to the sounds of pounding drums and the Czech scientist air-guitaring too many times to know a head-banger when he saw one. Or heard one, rather.

The volume readjusted, he started running the diagnostics program. The tiny screen on the I-pod had changed from English play lists to Ancient diagnostic text. While Rodney's gaze fixed on the screen, Sonya sat down, idly closing her eyes as she leaned against the wall.

Rodney ran through the text twice, searching for any clue as to what had caused the transporter to stop transporting. Everything appeared to be functioning. On this end, he thought. Something must be wrong throughout Atlantis, not just with the transporter. That would explain why they weren't getting a reply to their calls. Real fear settled into his heart; he was certain someone would have noticed that the transporter wasn't working by now. Or that he was missing. They should have been rescued by now.

Rodney felt panic take a tight hold, and he closed his eyes. Behind him, he felt Sonya stand up. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We've got a problem, don't we?" she asked gently.

Slowly, Rodney nodded. They had a big problem.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Stuck

Chapter 3

Rodney wearily lifted his watch and read the time: 4:40, Atlantis time. They had been in the transporter now for two hours. Periodically, they would take turns, calling for help on their headsets, only to receive cold silence in reply.

Both Rodney and Sonya were sitting down, each on opposite sides of the transporter. Rodney had been fiddling with the control panel for the last hour, but it was all wasted effort. His companion, her eyes wide with worry, had offered to help, but Rodney had snapped at her, and she had retreated to the far side of the small room.

"McKay? I have a question, but I don't want you to freak out, okay?" Sonya's voice drifted to him, and he glanced at the woman. She was slouched against the wall, her long legs bent at the knee. Her arms clasped her knees, and her backpack lay next to her.

Rodney nodded brusquely, his temper flaring at the insinuation that he would "freak out."

"Okay." She hesitated a moment, then asked, "Do you think this thing is air-tight?" Rodney noticed her face was lightly sheened with sweat.

Truth be told, Rodney had considered that question about an hour ago, but he didn't want to alarm Sonya. Because, truthfully, he thought maybe it was. This wasn't a machine made by union-workers down on Earth, but by the extremely advanced, technically outstanding Ancients. Rodney had major doubts that there was any defect to allow air to leak into the transporters. And he hadn't seen any kind of ventilation system, either. Nope….he was almost certain that the only oxygen on the transporter was from the air that was admitted when the doors opened. And they couldn't get the doors open.

He sighed deeply, then nodded his head in answer to her question. She paled noticeably, then asked the next, most obvious question.

"How long do we have?" Rodney had been pondering this question now for awhile, and he gave the only answer he had.

"Not long. Perhaps a few hours, if we don't talk too much, or move around." This time it was Sonya who nodded back, sinking back against the wall. Her face was thoughtful, her fear reflected only in her eyes.

God, he was hungry! And thirsty…what he would give for a sip of water. Rodney heard his stomach grumble as the thought of food crossed his mind. He almost snorted in disbelief; they were going to suffocate in a few hours, and yet his belly insisted on reminding him he could eat a horse.

He watched disinterestedly as Sonya glanced over at him, sighed, and then started rummaging through her backpack again. His eyes widened, however, when she tugged out a large water bottle (full!), a bag of chips, some kind of a sandwich, and oh my God! A plastic baggy full of Oreo cookies.

Rodney sat up straight, his attention riveted on Sonya. With a smile, she scootched over to him, opened the water bottle and offered him the first drink.

With a grateful, "Thanks," he grabbed it, taking two huge swallows. He nearly sighed with pleasure as the cool liquid slid down his parched throat. Suddenly, he opened his mouth, a large "urp" escaping. She laughed, shaking her head as he sputtered an apology.

"Don't drink too much," Sonya warned. "There's no bathroom around here, you know." Rodney only nodded his head, took one more swig, and handed the bottle back to Sonya. He leaned back against the wall as she took a swallow, paused, then another. As she replaced the cap, she opened the sandwich, breaking it in half.

"The sandwich is PB&J – strawberry – but I'm thinking you want the cookies?" she asked, reluctantly handing the full baggie over to Rodney.

"Where did you get Oreos?" he asked, his mouth full of black crumbs. "Wait – I don't care. Just – thank you," he added, cramming another cookie into his mouth.

They sat and ate in silence, staring vacantly at their surroundings. The water was in a large two-liter bottle, and when they had finished munching, they washed out their mouths with another swallow each. Rodney noticed that they had roughly half of a bottle of water, three cookies, half a sandwich and the bag of chips left. Not that they would need it, he thought ruefully. Still, Sonya repacked it carefully into her backpack.

A thought occurred to Rodney. "What else do you have in that thing?" he asked. She looked up at him, then plopped it down in front of him. She began pulling things out: the food first, then the flashlight. A small digital camera followed, along with some duct tape, a magic marker, some note paper and a pen, a rudimentary first aid kit, her Swiss army knife, a compass (a compass!), some spare batteries and a clean pair of socks.

"What on Earth do you need with all this stuff?" he asked incredulously. She glowered back at him.

"I was going exploring when we got stuck in this telephone booth," she retorted angrily. "You never know what you're going to run into around here."

Exploring? Didn't she realize how dangerous it was to wander around Atlantis? Even with all the new personnel, most of the city remained unexplored, at least by foot. Of course, there had been plenty of flyovers with puddlejumpers, and he and Radek had repeatedly studied the floor plans on the computer system. But, no one had actually entered many of the unknown sections of the huge city.

"I have another question," she said. Rodney only nodded, his attention on the items on the floor. "Instead of trying to fix this thing, can you send a signal or a message to…..Hey!"

Rodney had jumped up off the floor, his mind suddenly re-engaged on the problem. Of course! Send a S.O.S. But how..and to whom? He began pacing excitedly again, his brow creased as he took stock of their supplies. A digital camera…paper…marker..hmmmmm.

He stopped, reaching down to tug Sonya to her feet. "Okay, here's what I want you to do…" he said.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Stuck

Chapter 4

"I really think it should be you," Sonya said, her hands resting on her hips. "After all, you're the important one, here."

Rodney shook his head, his face contorting into a severe scowl. If he heard that he was more important than anyone else just one more time, he would scream. Yes, he had saved the collective asses of both Atlantis and it's personnel, not to mention himself, on more than one occasion, but he knew that it was 99 dumb luck. He just hadn't told anyone else that.

Sonya sighed deeply, then squatted down to the ground. Using the duct tape, she attached two pieces of paper together. Then she removed the cap from the marker, and carefully began to print on the paper.

Rodney returned to the control panel, the I-pod balanced precariously on the bundled cables, both hands carefully sorting through the wires. One by one, he cut the wires (except the red one – he knew what that one did) and tested them on the I-pod. The work was tedious, and his arms were aching from holding them in this position for so long.

Sonya reached around him and grabbed the I-pod. "Here, I'll hold it," she offered, and he gave her a grateful half-smile. He held the small yellow wire to the I-pod's circuit board, and glanced at the screen. He grinned in relief; he had found the communications link. Now, to send a message.

"Okay, are you ready?" he asked, motioning her to put the I-pod down. Sonya replaced the device on to the edge of the panel, and then nodded, doubt in her eyes.

"Do you really think this will work?" she asked as she took her position on the opposite side of the transporter. She swooped up the taped papers, holding them in front of her.

"Of course it will work," Rodney snapped. Unless there was no one to receive the message, he thought to himself. He picked up her camera, now wired directly into the I-pod using the electrical connections from Sonya's headset.

"How do I look?" she asked, a small teasing smile crossing her face. Dramatically, she swept her hair off of her face. Rodney shook his head. Women. In another hour or two, they'd be gasping for breath, and yet she's concerned about her appearance.

"You look fine," Rodney snapped. "Although I suggest a panicked expression would be more appropriate, rather than a smile." He motioned her to move forward a bit, focusing on the papers.

"Oh, yeah, right…panic. Gotcha," she said, schooling her face into an expression of semi-terror. Close enough, Rodney thought, as he snapped the picture.

He took four pictures, hoping that at least one would surface on someone's computer somewhere. Soon.

"We're almost ready, Dr. Weir," Radek Zelenka advised, his eyes plastered to the computer screen in the control room. About three hours ago, the entire system had crashed, and it had taken him and the rest of the staff this long to determine the cause.

Apparently, seawater had been leaking into a section of Atlantis that acted as secondary control room. The circuits had finally fried, causing Atlantis to shut down some of the power grids. The transporters were out, as well as the cargo bay doors. Also, all communications had been blacked out, causing some minor chaos.

Radek had re-routed the power, bypassing the secondary control room, and now he was getting ready to boot the system back up. He ran a hand through his thinning hair, worried about McKay. He knew the lead scientist would be furious with him, trapping him in the transporter for this long.

Elizabeth gave a short nod of her head. "Whenever you're ready, Doctor," she said.

Radek nodded, then, saying a silent prayer, he keyed in the commands to reboot the system. He watched as the boards lit up, then slowly faded, the lights winking out one by one. Something was wrong.

"No, no, no…" Radek moaned, hands flying over the keyboard. Finally, he looked up as his screen blacked out.

"I must have missed something," he whispered. Elizabeth's eyes widened in concern, then she approached the Czech.

"Fix it, Doctor. We don't have much time," she ordered. Radek rapidly nodded his head, running quickly from the room.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Stuck

Chapter 5

Sonya watched in concern as Dr. McKay, his eyes focused on the floor, paced nervously in the small transporter. He continuously tapped his hands against his thighs as he walked, making her a bit crazy. Step-tap-step-tap-step-turn around-step-tap-step-tap-turn around. He certainly has rhythm, she thought.

"You should sit down," she advised, waiting for the inevitable snide remark. All the rumors regarding Dr. McKay and his somewhat-less-than-charming-attitude had, so far, been corroborated. Still, he had dreamed up a possible plan of rescue, which is more than she would have done, so she was willing to make allowances.

Rodney didn't pause in his motion, but kept on plodding back and forth. Sonya sighed deeply, then stood. When he returned to her side of the room (didn't take too long, really), she reached out and grasped his shoulders. His head popped up, and she was surprised to see the level of distress in his eyes.

"What!" Rodney barked, taking a step back and yanking free of her touch. He had been running formulas in his head, trying to distract himself from the 'incredibly shrinking transporter with hardly any air' dilemma. Not that it was working, but pacing seemed a better way to occupy his time than sitting in the corner and moaning in claustrophobic fear.

"You should sit down, Dr. McKay," Sonya repeated, her own eyes searching his face. "You're using up air when you move around," she added when she saw he was going to protest.

Rodney closed his mouth, realizing that she was probably right. Still, he was having a problem controlling his innate fear of enclosed places.

"You're claustrophobic, aren't you?" she asked gently, steering him to the floor and handing him the water bottle. He took it gratefully, ignoring the protest from his already-full bladder, and took a drink.

"Among other things, yes," he snapped back. He was immediately sorry at his tone, but she didn't seem to mind. How does she stay so calm? he wondered.

Sonya only nodded, saying, "Me, too. It's pretty common, actually. To be honest, I didn't even like coming here on the Daedelus…I don't like to be confined. I need the big outdoors." She was silent for a moment, then said, "Too bad the Daedelus wasn't here."

Rodney nodded in agreement, then leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. If Colonel Caldwell and his ship had been in the area, they could have been beamed out of here hours ago.

Rodney looked at his watch. Another two hours had passed since they had sent their S.O.S., and they hadn't received any reply. The air in the transporter was getting noticeably staler, and the temperature seemed to be rising as well. Occasionally, he or Sonya had tried to contact help using Rodney's headset, but it was all for nothing.

"Do you have family on Earth?" Sonya asked. Rodney stiffened, his reluctance to speak about his childhood and family rearing it's head. Instead of elaborating, he merely nodded, hoping she would drop the subject.

"Me too," she said. "Two brothers and two sisters. Both parents still married, even with five kids," she added. She watched Rodney sigh, then crack open an eye, trying to look interested.

"My father, Nikolai, immigrated from Russia when he was attending medical school. He never went back. Instead, he fell in love with my mom, who's a music teacher."

Rodney nodded again, opening his mouth to remind her that talking, as well as pacing, uses up precious oxygen. He paused, looking closer at the woman, suddenly realizing that she was as terrified as he was.

"The oldest is Nikolai – we call him Little Nicky. He's a pizza maker, believe it or not. Owns his own place. Then there's my sister, Natasha – Tasha we call her. She's the brains of the family, studying law. Then me. After me comes Tirza, who insists on being called Terry, although I don't know why. Tirza is such a lovely name. Finally, there's Anton. He's only twenty-two, and plays in a band on weekends. He's driving my parents crazy."

Sonya paused, and Rodney saw tears forming in her eyes. "I miss them," she added softly.

Rodney reached over and grabbed her hand. "Your family sounds…. nice," he said awkwardly. She nodded in return, her face thoughtful and far away.

Rodney released her hand, taking another look at his watch. "We should probably be quiet, and not talk too much," he advised. Sonya glanced at him, then shook her head in agreement.

"Thanks for being here, Dr. McKay," she said softly. Sonya leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes, humming softly to herself.

Rodney watched the woman for a moment, then shut his eyes as well. Help would come, he thought desperately. But would it come soon enough?

"Okay, this time I think I have it," Radek announced. Once more in the control room, he hovered over the main keyboard. Nervously, he rubbed his hands together, his eyes on the clock.

"'You think?'" This from Colonel Sheppard, who glowered at the Czech scientist.

"Zelenka, this needs to work. I don't want to hear 'you think', got it?" Radek only nodded nervously, not willing to admit that he was only about 90 certain that his new configuration would restore all operations on Atlantis. Still, 90 was better than nothing.

"Doctor, whenever you're ready," Elizabeth Weir advised. Radek nodded, then started typing in commands.

"The trick is to start things up one by one," he said to himself. "First, communications." His hands flew over the keys and he watched the screen carefully. Nothing. His face grew increasingly agitated as the monitors remained stubbornly blank.

Then, static. Suddenly, within the black and white fuzziness, Radek could see an image forming. He gasped as the picture finally focused. Behind him, he could hear the surprised voice of John Sheppard.

"What the hell is that?"

Radek stared, his eyes taking in the frightened face of a woman, someone he vaguely recognized. She was holding a sign, and Radek enlarged the image so he could read the words. He swallowed as their meaning sank in:

HELP

Transporter 1

14:20 stuck

17:00 this message

Air gone soon

(4 – 6 hours?)

McKay

Radek Zelenka looked at his watch; it was now about 21:00 hours. That meant Rodney and this woman had been stuck in the transporter now for nearly eight hours. And it seemed Rodney had determined that they had only four to six hours of air. Radek's face drained of blood as shock set in. He turned his wide gaze on to Elizabeth and John.

"Get that transporter back into a docking station now, Doctor!" Elizabeth ordered as John yelled for Carson Beckett to have a team standing by. Radek hurriedly started typing in commands, praying that his bypass had worked.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Stuck

Chapter 5

Rodney sat on the floor, his eyes closed, concentrating on taking short, shallow breaths. The transporter was unbelievably warm, and he was drenched in sweat. Next to him, her breathing more like a gasp, was Sonya. She hadn't moved in the last half hour, and Rodney stirred enough to crack open an eye to check on her.

Her face was deathly pale, and he could see her straining to breathe in the thick, humid air. The water bottle lay at her side, empty. Rodney ran a dry tongue over his lips, his body crying out for water as well as fresh air.

It had been at least four hours since they had sent their message, and Rodney knew they only had minutes left. His initial fear of the confined space had dwindled into a morbid acceptance that they were going to die in this little room. Rather than becoming panicked, Rodney was surprised to feel only a sad sort of regret. They had tried to do what they could to escape this fate; their lives were now in the hands of the others. Rodney wasn't sure their message had been received, or that there was even anyone to receive the message. Now, he thought, it doesn't really matter.

"McKay?" He opened his other eye, and tried to focus on Sonya. Lord, he was dizzy. He felt her slide closer to him, then she took his hand. The movement caused her to start coughing, and she bent over, her lungs desperately trying to pull in air. Alarmed, Rodney leaned towards, horrified to see her lips turning blue.

She waved him away, her coughing gradually becoming a wheezing, then slowly coming under control. She gripped his hand tightly, then turned to him.

"Thanks for trying, Rodney. You were great," she whispered. He saw her smile, then her eyes closed. He tightened his grip on her hand, relieved that he wasn't going to die completely alone. Shutting his eyes, he felt his head slide down, coming to rest on Sonya's shoulder. Then nothing.

"Rodney! Rodney! Come on lad, breathe! Come on." The harried voice of Dr. Carson Beckett echoed down the hallway. He was frantically strapping an oxygen mask onto the unresponsive physicist. Dr. Stein was administering the same procedure to Sonya. Neither one was breathing, and both Rodney and Sonya's lips and fingers were tinged blue.

Dr. Weir, Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Zelenka looked on, their faces revealing their fear. With Carson and his trauma team standing by, they had finally opened the doors to transporter one.

The sight that had met their eyes had been shocking: Rodney was lying with his head resting on a woman's shoulder, her hand clasped tightly in his. Both appeared to be sleeping peacefully, until Carson had started pounding on Rodney's chest. No heartbeat. No pulse.

Now, Elizabeth and the others watched as Carson had Rodney lifted on to a gurney, still pumping oxygen into the lifeless doctor's body. Calling out for adrenaline, Carson and his team raced down to the medical lab, the Scottish doctor continuously pounding on the scientist's chest. Directly behind Carson was Stein, also performing CPR on the woman.

Elizabeth reached out and grabbed John's hand, her eyes revealing her distress. He returned the look, then tugged her in the direction of the sick bay. If Rodney wasn't going to make it….John quickly tossed the thought away. Rodney always made it. That was his charm.

Rodney felt cold. Which was strange, because it had been stifling in the transporter. He heard something weird, too. Beeping, maybe. Keeping his eyes closed, he did an internal survey of his body, and decided that being dead was just as painful as being alive. He hadn't figured on that.

Sonya. Where was she? He pried his eyes open, shutting them again immediately at the brightness. White light. Well, at least he made it to heaven. After all he'd done on Atlantis, he'd damn well better.

"Welcome back, Dr. McKay." Rodney reopened his eyes at the sound of Carson's gentle Scottish voice. The doctor sat next to his bed, exhausted but smiling. "We got your message, although we already knew where you were."

"Sonya." Rodney's voice barely came out as a croak, and Carson leaned forward, a frown on his face. He reached over, taking a glass of water, plopped a straw in it, and held it to Rodney's mouth.

The scientist slurped in a mouthful, his eyes grateful. He leaned back down, then tried again.

"Sonya. Is she…?" Rodney couldn't continue. He didn't want to think about another death on his hands, especially not hers. If she hadn't been in the transporter with him, lugging all that stuff around, he would've never been able to send a message for help. And he would've died…alone.

"She's okay. See?" Carson backed up a little, and Rodney focused his eyes on the next bed. Sonya was there, sleeping, her breathing a little harsh.

Rodney closed his eyes in relief. They were alive…both of them. His mind at peace, he felt blessed sleep rise up and take him.

Rodney McKay waited at the transporter, impatiently checking his watch. What was the problem this time?

He had meticulously gone over Radek's work, and, finally, agreed that the entire transporter system was now restored to normal. Still, this was the first time he was riding it. Alone.

He looked to his right as someone walked up to the transporter, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Hey Dr. McKay."

"Hey yourself, Miss Davidovich. I trust you're well?" Rodney scrutinized the dark-haired nurse, relieved that she had lost the pallid look. It had taken her a bit longer to recover than Rodney, and he had been worried.

"Just peachy," Sonya said. She tugged her backpack up on to her shoulder, and Rodney gave her a half-smile.

"Exploring?" he asked, and she nodded in response. His warnings about wandering around Atlantis alone were waylaid by the arrival of Radek Zelenka, who was also carrying a small backpack. Rodney's gaze switched between the two, and he stifled a knowing smile.

"Radek," Rodney greeted. Sonya grinned shyly at the Czech scientist.

"Rodney," Zelenka replied, a light pink blush staining his cheeks. Rodney just shook his head.

"Got everything you need?" he teased, and Sonya smiled in reply.

"Of course," she said. "Someone even repaired my I-pod." She slipped off her headset, and placed the headphones around her neck.

They all turned as the transporter doors slid open, and, with obvious reluctance, Rodney stepped inside. He turned, surprised they hadn't followed.

"Aren't you coming?" Rodney watched as Sonya mulled over his question, then shook her head.

"I think I'll take the next one, Dr. McKay. Thanks anyway. Oh, by the way, I have something for you," she added, tossing a small bag at him as the doors shut.

Rodney awkwardly caught the bag, and started to smile as he identified the contents. Humming happily, he waved his hand over the control panel, feeling the transporter start to move. Then, he reached into the bag, and with a happy sigh, pulled out an Oreo and stuffed it in his mouth.

The End


End file.
